FRISCO, Texas – There were plenty of hurdles for the New England Revolution to clear ahead of – and during – Saturday afternoon’s season opener at FC Dallas.
Likely starters Andrew Farrell and Juan Fernando Caicedo were sidelined by injuries picked up during preseason. Michael Mancienne – slated to captain the side in central defense – was forced to withdraw from the starting lineup just 30 minutes before kickoff after picking up an injury in warmups. And to top it off, the Revs fell behind in just the 13th minute when Michael Barrios capitalized on a counterattack.
But the Revolution overcame all those obstacles – spurred on by a debut goal from Carles Gil – and picked up a valuable point in a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
“I liked the performance overall,” said head coach Brad Friedel, kicking off his second season in New England. “I liked the fact that we battled from a goal down. The first 15 minutes we were a little apprehensive – that happens sometimes in the first game of the season.
“But I thought after that – and I’ll have to watch the video – I liked our chances compared to theirs for the most part, and I really liked the way that we set up in the second half.”
Apart from FCD’s early opener New England were mostly untroubled defensively, and veteran goalkeeper Brad Knighton – making his first-ever start in a season opener after winning the job in preseason – was forced to make just two saves.
It was a defensive performance made all the more impressive by the fact that Jalil Anibaba was thrust into the starting lineup with only a half-hour’s notice. The 30-year-old center back paired well with Antonio Delamea and largely limited a Dallas side looking to impress in their first game under Luchi Gonzalez.
Anibaba and Delamea even combined to set up Gil’s equalizer in the 57th minute, Delamea knocking down Anibaba’s left-wing cross for Gil to settle and finish calmly from inside the box.
“When you go down early on the road, it’s a very vulnerable spot to be in,” said Anibaba. “I thought we did a good job of keeping the game at [1-0], and then doing what we needed to do in the second half to pull one back. I think we could’ve even gone up there, towards the end, but I think we’re decently pleased with a point on the road.
“I thought it was a team result, a team effort. Everybody fought from minute one to minute 90, and I think it’s a decent stepping stone to lead into the home opener.”
It’s a result that snapped a lengthy losing streak against FC Dallas and earned the Revs their first season-opening point since 2016, setting themselves up for next weekend’s home opener against Columbus Crew SC on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium (2 p.m. ET, TICKETS).
At home, they won’t be quite so satisfied with a single point.
“For us to start the season with a point on the road is always a good thing, but you’ve got to turn that into three coming home next weekend,” said Knighton. “It was a great result for us moving forward, and hopefully it’ll jumpstart the season and get three points next weekend.”
